Plateau Magazine Oct-Nov 2021

local chatter
ered one of the preeminent fall festivals in
the Southeast, with tickets to its four main
events, Grand Tasting, Truckin’, Main
Event and Sunday Shindig, selling out in
a matter of minutes.
The festival also promotes wine dinners
and specialty events held at local restaurants
and retailers. Two notable events include
the Old Edwards Inn and Spa Farm
Harvest Dinner and Barn Dance, where
visitors can expect “a full-on evening of
authentic mountain culture. Your senses
will come alive with sights, sounds, smells
and flavors of farm-fresh creations being
prepared live.” This event gives patrons
a chance to meet the farmers of Sunburst
Trout Farm, Anson Mills and Painted
Hills Natural Beef, all while enjoying an
evening of live music from Back Porch Orchestra.
The second culinary experience
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hosted by Half-Mile Farm allows guests
the opportunity to “spice up” their “evening
with Sue Zemanick, of Zasu in New
Orleans and Melissa Martin, author of
“Mosquito Supper Club” with this Chefs in
the House Dinner where Sue will be serving
up New Orleans style cuisine.”
This year’s four-day festival will kick off
on Thursday, November 11th, and promises
to deliver the finest culinary experience
in the Southeast. In addition to the outstanding
chefs who call Highlands home,
the festival welcomes premier chefs from
the region. The Grand Tasting will feature
palate-pleasing fare from Ristorante Paoletti,
Madison’s Restaurant and Wine Garden,
Bridge at Mill Creek, 4118 Kitchen +
Bar, and Jeremiah Bacon, the executive
chef of Oak Steakhouse and Indigo Road
Hospitality Group.
For those who prefer a more laid-back
savory experience, the Truckin’ event
delivers. Those who are truckin’ around
Highlands on Friday will have tasty options
from a variety of food trucks and restaurant
partners, including Wicked Good
Deep Fried Pretzels, Highlands Burritos,
Root Down, Backwoods Bakery, The Crafty
Goat and Highlands Smokehouse. Festival
VIP patrons can also try low country
cuisine prepared by native Charlestonian
renowned Chef Mark Bolchoz of Indaco.
Saturday’s Main Event renders a mouthwatering
cornucopia of cuisine from the
popular Four65 Woodfire Bistro + Bar and
The Darling Oyster Bar, as well as those
prepared by regional Chef Drew Erickson
from CAMP Modern American Eatery in
Greenville, SC, and Victor King and Kristen
Farmer Hall, both executive chefs and
co-owners of The Essential and Bandit
Pâtisserie of Birmingham, AL.
The festival concludes on November 14th
with the Sunday Shindig, which provides
food rich in flavor from Highlands’ Half-
Mile Farm, as well as tasty farm-to-table
selections from Shawn Kelly of Fork and
Plough in Greenville, SC. Festival patrons
can also sample selections from
Owen McGlynn of live-fire steakhouse
Asheville Proper, which opened in 2020
and promises guests, “refined culinary
experience without pretension to diners in
Asheville,” as well as French favorites prepared
by Jeb Aldrich, the executive chef
at Charleston’s classic French restaurant,
Brasserie La Banque. Having appeared on
PBS’ Cooking Under Fire, Top Chef, Food
Fighters and Chow Masters, Chef Katsuji
Tanabe will be opening A’Verde Cocina
and Tequila Library in Cary, NC, in 2021,
but will be serving up delicious delicacies
as the festival winds down.
The Highlands Food and Wine Festival
has hosted a wide variety of acclaimed
musicians in the past, including Bruce
Hornsby, Mavis Staples, The Wood Brothers,
Dawes, Rhiannon Giddens, JJ Grey,
The Infamous Stringdusters, and Anderson
East, and this year’s musical line-up
continues to be a stellar representation
of regional talent. 2021 festival-goers can
look forward to welcoming Amos Lee, Hiss
Golden Messenger, Devon Gilfillian, Rufus
Lee and the Handful, Diana Demuth, and
Erin Rae.
With so much to offer, it’s no wonder the
Highlands Food and Wine Festival is the
hottest ticket in town. Mark your calendar
for 2022 and start planning a fall getaway
rich in mountain music, premier lodging,
retail therapy and culinary pleasures that
are sure to please the pickiest palates. P
(above) Anderson East rocks another sold out
HFW Main Event in 2019; (left) Chef Johaness
Klapdohr of The Library Kitchen & Bar serves up
happiness at HFW’s Main Event 2019.